In just a couple of weeks, the social media consumer blitz on your senses will have subsided, and you’ll be able to scroll through IG and Tiktok mostly unbothered by ads. The holidays are fun, but this can be a welcome relief.
But what happens when your business still needs to stay connected with its audience–how do you maintain a meaningful digital presence without being overwhelming?
Here are four simple tips to prepare for next year and stay engaged on social media in 2023 (without the holiday blitz).
1. Do a Content Makeover
Remember when makeover shows were all the rage? We owe a debt of makeover gratitude to Queer Eye, both the modern and the OG.
If you aren’t confident about the content you share on social media, or worse, you’re sharing the same stuff over and over, this will cause your audience to lose interest.
Instead, try going further with your social media posts by including elements encouraging discussion and debate. This will improve your Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook engagement and demonstrate your commitment to being an interactive and transparent brand.
You should also vary the length of your social media engagement posts. Both short- and long-form content is effective. By adding variety to your content strategy for social media, you can easily capture the interest of your audience and keep things fresh.
2. Adjust Your Scheduled Posts
Scheduling social media engagement posts in advance is the norm. So if you’re not already automating your posts, buy yourself some time and do it.
That said, your followers can quickly get bored if you don’t mix it up a bit. Track which posts get the most engagement, then play around with your scheduling. It would behoove you to see which post topics and which timeslots get the most attention. Audiences from different platforms have varying preferences regarding the frequency of social media engagement posts.
Here are the recommended number of posts by platform according to Hootsuite:
- LinkedIn: Two to five posts per week
- Facebook: One to two posts per day
- Instagram: Three to seven posts a week
- Twitter: One to five tweets a day (in light of recent changes, this may vary widely in 2023)
- TikTok: At least one video a day
3. Prioritize Engagement
Social media can be a bit of a time suck and, frankly, a pain in the ass when you have a business to run. But the whole point is to connect with your audience and have them interact with you. So you’re better off with fewer social platforms and doubling down on engaging with the audience of one or two of them.
Here are the reasons why engagement, more than having a billion social media accounts, matters the most:
- Trust. The days of businesses being seen as faceless entities in ivory towers are over. Your clients know you’re an actual person (or group of people). And most clients can discern your brand voice in emails and blog posts. The fact that they know it’s you instills trust. Customers don’t expect brands to be perfect, but they expect them to be authentic. Engagement demonstrates that.
- Market Research. You can literally ask your clients what they want and they will tell you. How can we improve? What would you like us to start offering? Who else do you know that might want to work with us? You’d pay big bucks for that kind of money and yet, you can get it for free straight from the horse’s mouth.
- Relationships. Be of value. Be of service. Build a relationship. Fostering a community of loyal customers and advocates who will speak highly of your brand is better than any kind of paid advertising you can find.
4. Get on Board With Video
Thank you, YouTube and TikTok! Visual content can do wonders for your social media campaigns as it generates more engagement than any other form of media. Don’t feel camera ready? Don’t worry–the realness that comes across in video content is actually a good thing.
So how can you effectively integrate video into your content strategy for social media?
- Be consistent with your branding (and be yourself). Try to make it a habit to use your brand’s colors and imagery so your audience can immediately recognize you, but don’t make yourself crazy over it. Here’s a branding hack: Being yourself is the best and most consistent way to brand. Of course, colors, vibe, and font help too, but you’re the star.
- The GIF that keeps on giving. GIFs capture attention quickly, especially if they get a laugh. They’re perfect for fast-paced social channels like Twitter and can also increase Facebook and IG engagement. Humor is a great way to connect on a human level, and a well-timed and tasteful GIF is always a good idea.
- Go mini. Short-form videos such as Reels and TikToks are incredibly effective in increasing engagement. The video can be funny or educational. Want to be a superstar? Make it funny AND educational. To take it one step further, you can create a video series that tells a success story, a how-to, or details of an upcoming event. This will keep people coming back for more and improve your visibility within the platform’s algorithm. Win-win.
Using some or all of these tips can greatly impact your social media and help you foster a genuine connection with your audience in 2023. Want more ways to stay connected with your target audience and improve your branding? Reach out to GoBeyond SEO today.
